27 Chapter 27: Hollows
"Hollows?!?!"
The hollow before him is a giant humanoid Hollow with a fish-like mask and a dorsal fin on his back. His shoulders and arms are plated with what appears to be part of his mask, and his body is covered with dark grey stripes resembling the scales of a fish. This thing pretty much resembles Fishbone D from Bleach—quite a coincidence.
"How in the world did hollows get here? Hollows aren't supposed to exist in this world." Yun Che immediately draws Zangetsu and prepares to fight. He uses his observation mode to pry the hollow's cultivation. Surprisingly, the hollow had the strength of the 7th Level of the Elementary Profound Realm cultivator. What he didn't expect was he could read its cultivation, which had profound energy in it.
"A hollow that can cultivate Profound Energy. What in the blazes is happening now, and how did they do so?" Yun Che asked himself. The hollow doesn't approach him; instead, it moves towards Xiao Kuangyun, scared shitless.
"Aaaaahhhhhh!!!!" Xiao Kuangyun screamed as he saw the gruesome creature. Another situation shocks Yun Che once more.
"He can see it?" As he remembers, hollows aren't supposed to be seen by mortals, according to the Bleach Wiki, as they are spiritual creatures that dwell in the realm of the living. The hollow grabbed Xiao Kuangyun when he tried to run for it. The latter could only scream in terror as the fishbone hollow locked his whole body.
"Xiao Che, save me!!! Save me!!! I give you money!!!!"
The hollow tossed him in its mouth. Blood spurts as he is munched and crushed to death in the hollow's mouth. The sound of bones chewed in its mouth was enough to cause ordinary people to sink their stomachs.
"Ouch, poor guy, poor bastard." Yun Che felt pity for him. That guy is just being munched to death. That was even worse than having a beauty like Jasmine ending his life. Well, that's the death he deserved.
Back to the real issue, Hollows usually chased remnant souls who stayed behind and never harmed living beings. Instead, they can be seen by mortals who have small spiritual powers inside them. Then, mortals couldn't make contact with hollows or vice versa, but the previous situation made him ask many questions. Suddenly, the hollow's aura increased after eating Xiao Kuangyun. Its aura rose to the 9th Level of the Elementary Profound Realm from the seventh.
Another situation caused the shinigami to widen his eyes; it was a hollow that could level up by consuming cultivators. "Looks like the hollow gained strength after eating that poor bastard. How did they get to this world?" As Yun Che was thinking, the hollow suddenly changed its direction towards him. It was trying to grab Yun Che in one swift motion.
Roooaaarrrr…
"Hmph, trying to eat me, huh?" Yun Che flash-step avoids its grip before pointing his hand towards its face. "(Way of Destruction #33, Blue Fire Crash Down)!!!" The hollow's head was engulfed inside a massive blue flame and disintegrated, leaving nothing behind. The difference in strength was too much for the hollow. However, it didn't have a shred of fear and continued attacking to eat his cultivation. It was logical as they are instinct-based unless those who developed intelligence.
Yun Che looked at the location where the hollow fell just now. "What is going on around here?" As he was thinking, Jasmine suddenly appeared next to him. She was shocked after sensing a sinister aura coming from here. This aura is not the same as demon beasts or devils. It's weak, but it carries a demonic aura around it. The same aura Yun Che used before when he donned the eye mask to defeat the Puma a while back.
"What is going on here? What is that thing?" Jasmine asks him after seeing the event unfold as she watches from above the cliff. Yun Che began sheathing Zangetsu behind him replied. "That thing was hollow."
"Hollow?" Jasmine was confused. She had never heard of such a thing, even in the Realm of the Gods.
"Hollows are Shinigami's nemesis in our world. Those things cultivate reiatsu just like us. When humans die, their souls are supposed to pass to the afterlife, but some are unwilling to. These souls are called remnant souls. These souls usually have unfinished business or vengeance. When these souls are exposed to unclean spirits or evil energy, they transform into a creature known as Hollows." Yun Che explained to her based on his knowledge gained from his previous world.
From the anime 'Bleach' to be exact.
"Hollows, can they cultivate as well?" As they talk, Jasmine is walking alongside Yun Che in the forest.
"Hollows usually have pure instinct and the desire to become even stronger. They're the same as a demonic beast. The strong devour the weak. However, they are applying it. Hollows usually search for remnant souls to eat them to become stronger, but I was quite shocked after seeing this one. Usually, Hollows can only be seen by someone with a spiritual sense or death gods like me, but Xiao Kuangyun can see it now. Hollow doesn't harm mortals in our world, but that thing eats the poor bastard just now. It seems that hollows have found new nourishment in this world. They eat stronger beings to absorb their vitality and ignore weaker beings. The stronger the vitality, the stronger they will become. After absorbing the vitality of a human, they attain physical form, making them vulnerable to human attacks."
"So, they eat cultivators to become stronger. These hollows. Are there any limits to how strong a hollow can be? Are they able to cultivate like demon beasts?" Jasmine asked again as her curiosity about hollows suddenly peaked.
"Let me think, sort of. This one is a normal hollow, though. Hollows came in different shapes and sizes. Some are beast-like, larger, and some become humanoid-like, just like that fishbone hollow. Some have a size advantage but are weaker in terms of strength. Let's assume they are the only bunches of them in the living world." Yun Che was hoping for the latter. He didn't expect Menos or Gilians to start to appear in this world, but if they could cultivate by eating cultivators. They might exist one day.
"System, any information on the Hollow's Cultivation?" Yun Che asked the System in his head.
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[Ding…The System had analysed the hollow from before and attained an understanding of the hollow's cultivation.]
[Ding…. Merging information from the system database.]
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Mortal Realm
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Elementary Profound Realm – True Profound Realm (Normal Hollows)
As hollows consume practitioners and demon beasts of the Blue Pole Star, they can absorb their cultivation and vitality. However, their intelligence is limited by pure instinct and attain physical form. Mortals can easily defeat them, but they must be wary of the hollow's size, shape and type advantage.
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Spirit Profound Realm – Earth Profound Realm (Menos Grande)
When the hollow breaks through to the Spirit Profound Realm, its body will transform and transform their body into a more extensive form known as Menos or Lesser Great Hollow. These hollows can eat another Menos to steal their cultivation or stronger profound beasts and cultivators.
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Sky Profound Realm – Emperor Profound Realm (Gilians)
After breaking through, Menos's mask will transform once they consume enough Menos. They will be known as Gilians, and these Gilians will gain essential intelligence to survive during battle.
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Tyrant Profound Realm – Sovereign Profound Realm (Adjuchas)
When Gilians breakthrough, their body will compress to any non-human form they desire. The forms are known as Adjuchas or Intermediate Great Hollow. These beings will gain intelligence comparable to a human. These hollows are strong enough to challenge any powerhouses around the continent if their strength is sufficient.
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Divine Realm
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Divine Origin – Divine Spirit (Vastolorde)
After absorbing origin energy, Adjuchas can transform into a humanoid version of the Adjuchas's form known as Vasto Lorde or Greater Great Hollow. However, their strength will undergo evolution and transform them into capable of challenging Divine beings.
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Divine King – Divine Master (Humanoid Vasto Lorde)
Humanoid Vastolorde is Vastolorde that can transform into a human, similar to a high-ranked Demonic Beast. These beings can be a ruler of the realm as long as strength is sufficient.
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Since hollows arrived in this world, these things can evolve on their own without the help of Sousuke Aizen. Arrancar didn't exist in this world because Arrancar is Vasto Lordes with Shinigami powers. Since Aizen didn't use the Hogyuku in this world, Arrancar is out of the picture. However, these hollows can still evolve into a human form if they reach Divine King. The hollows in this dimension are the same as the demon beasts. They gained intelligence and could transform into various forms once their powers had sufficed. He had to keep this in mind as meeting one might be possible.
It looks like cultivators aren't the only ones he needed to be wary of.
"So, do they have any weaknesses?" Jasmine asked again.
"Since they are vulnerable to physical human attacks, they can be killed if they aim at its mask. If the mask breaks, the hollow will die immediately. I am sure those powerful cultivators can kill them, but too bad they can't dissect or gain something from it when it dies." Yun Che explains. He didn't know how long the Garganta or Throat to the Hollow Dimension was opened and how many hollows had flocked into the world. If mortals can easily defeat them, they're the same as demonic beasts. They won't harm non-cultivators, but they could still threaten them.
Yun Che and Jasmine finally arrived at their home cave after a short introduction about Hollows to her.
"System, do you have any information on Hollows in this world." Yun Che asked the System from his mind.
[Ding…Scan complete.]
[System has detected unusual energy in the air. The spiritual energy seems to originate from somewhere far from Profound Sky Continent. The System has detected a Garganta opened up somewhere in this world.]
Yun Che was entirely confused. A Garganta or Throat wasn't supposed to open in this world. To attract those from Hueco Mundo, they are only interested if that world is full of spiritual power. This world is only full of profound energy. Maybe it can serve as a substitute?
"Where did they come from?" Jasmine asked him again. Jasmine seems to be interested in his previous world, though. She wanted to learn new things aside from the Realm of the Gods. If Yun Che looked at her, she looked like a schoolgirl willing to do anything to know about it.
Yun Che looked at her seriously at said, "The Blue Pole Star and The Realm of the Gods are just part of a single realm, though. They are still the Realm of the Living. Hollows came from a dimension between the living world and the afterlife. That realm is known as The Realm of the Hollows or Hueco Mundo. Hollows came from that realm and could enter any living world they desired.
"Have you been in there? The Realm of the Hollows?" She asked him.
"I once heard of them but never actually been in it." Yun Che shook his head. He heard about it from Bleach but didn't know what the realm looked like in this world.
"Oh. I thought a Soul Reaper could come and go as they please into that realm."
"No, hollows have their way of conjuring the portal. Some Shinigami managed to research their ways into opening up a portal into the said realm. Besides, mortals can't survive there due to thick contaminated spiritual energy." So even if Jasmine wants to go, she can't survive there unless he has ways to make her soul immune to the contaminated Reishi.
Nodding in understanding, she tried to change the subject. "Yun Che, I've noticed something from that hollow before. It has this sinister energy different from devils and Divine cultivators. I detected the same energy that came from you when you used that white eye mask."
His eyes widened after he heard that statement. He made sure to use it when Jasmine wasn't around when he never expected she saw him do so.
"Are you hiding something from me? Your Master?" Jasmine looked at him thoughtfully, demanding him to tell her his secrets. Seeing her like this, Yun Che sighs. This girl was his partner and someone he shared his secrets with.
"Sigh, very well. You met Hoyuu countless times, right?"
"That annoying version of you?" Jasmine had tick marks on her head as Hoyuu bothered her to the point that he started to annoy her. She tried to fight him, but Yun Che warned Hoyuu would learn whatever she threw at him and use it against her. In the end, she had to swallow his insult all the time.
"That annoying version of me is one of my Zanpakuto spirits, but he isn't a normal Zanpakuto. That guy is a Hollowfied Zangetsu Spirit and the real Zangetsu."
"But, I thought the old man was Zangetsu."
"He is, but he also manifests my Quincy powers. The real Zangetsu is Hoyuu all along. Hoyuu shorts from Hollow Yuuki."
"A Zanpakuto spirit that can transform itself into a Hollow. Sometimes, I borrow his powers to increase my strength. Well, don't underestimate him. That's all I can tell you." Yun Che shrugs his shoulder.
"Why? Can Hoyuu surpass me at full power?" Jasmine couldn't believe that arrogant, foul-mouth white thing could easily surpass her.
"I don't know the extent of his power. He agreed only to take me over should my life is jeopardised, but if he did use his full power, I am sure he could destroy this entire continent within three minutes." Yun Che wasn't bluffing. He remembers Ichigo when he uses Full Hollow Mode with Ulquirra and Kokuto. Hoyuu can even bust through the gates of hell itself. What would happen if he unleashed that mode in the Profound Sky Continent?
"Hmph, I'll make sure he knows his place. Anyway, have you killed everyone that Xiao bastard recruit? I prefer you kill all of your opponents rather than leave them alive."
"Of course I did. I never leave loose ends." He smiled back, and Jasmine gave him a nod of approval. Then, Yun Che suddenly remembers something about Floating Cloud City.
"I suddenly remembered something, though. Remember you asked me about you need about thirty-five kilos of Purple God Veined Crystals? "Yun Che said while rubbing his head.
"Yeah, I need it to construct my body, though. Why?" She asked with a puzzled expression.
"I know where to find more than thirty-five kilos of those things." Yun Che showed his grin to Jasmine, and the latter had confused. As for Yun Che, he might have a way to prevent the invasion of that bird empire in the future. Thinking about it suddenly makes him excited for some reason.
